Machine gun "Maxim": device, history of creation and specifications

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Since the first man picked up a club to hit another person with it, humanity has been improving and perfecting it. The club was replaced by an ax, a spear, a bow - the list is very long. In the middle of the list is a machine gun. The first of the machine guns, most likely, was the Maxim machine gun. Before him, there were shotguns - rapid-fire firing systems with a standard cartridge and loaded from the breech. They had a significant drawback: the work of rolling back and locking the bolt, cocking the drummer was performed by the shooter by rotating the handle. The shooter quickly got tired, which is unacceptable in combat conditions. During the operation of the canisters, the main mechanisms for locking the shutter, cocking the firing pin, loading and ejecting the spent cartridge case were worked out. It only remained to learn how to use the energy of the spent powder gases or the recoil of the barrel to reload the cartridge and cock the firing pin. The American engineer Hiram Stevens brilliantly coped with this task. Max.

He is not just the one who invented the Maxim machine gun, he is the one who opened up a new era of wars.

Whatever happens, we have got

The Maxim gun, and they have not

"Be that as it may, "Maxim" is with us, not with them." This line from Hiller Belloc's 1898 poem "The Modern Traveler" became the epigraph to the history of wars in the early 20th century.

In 1893, fifty British guards of the Rhodesian Charter Company in Africa shot down 5000 attacking Zulus in 90 minutes with 4 machine guns. 3,000 of them died.

September 2, 1898 in Sudan, 8,000 British and 18,000 Egyptian soldiers armed with 44 Maxim machine guns defeated 62,000 Sudanese troops armed with bows and spears. 20 thousand people were killed and wounded. The future British Prime Minister Winston Churchill participated in this battle.

Hirem Stevens Maxim

Hirem Stevens Maxim (emphasis on the first syllable of the surname) was born in 1840 in America, in the state of Maine. He first invented the automatic spring-loaded mousetrap. Then a lot of different things: hair curlers, menthol inhaler, new designs of dynamos, carbon filament for electric light bulbs. He worked on the creation of an aircraft, but the power of the steam engine was not enough, and there was no gasoline yet. During his lifetime, he patented 271 inventions.

Disputes over the patent for the invention of the electric light bulb with Thomas Alva Edison forced Maxim to go to the UK.

B1881 Maxim moved to England.

In 1882, Maxim met an American whom he knew from America. He advised to quit chemistry and electricity and do something that would allow Europeans to kill each other with greater efficiency. Maxim listened to the words of his compatriot and in 1883 presented the world with the first copy of the machine gun.

In 1888 he founded a factory for the production of machine guns. In 1896, the factory was taken over by the British Vickers Co. The British had the first Maxim machine gun in 1891. In England he was called "Vickers". Officially, the Maxim machine gun was in service with the UK under the brand name "Vickers" Mk-1 from 1912 to 1967.

In 1899, Hiram Maxim accepted British citizenship, and in 1901 Queen Victoria knighted Maxim for services to Great Britain. The mass executions of the local population in Rhodesia and Sudan were highly praised by the crown.

Hiram Stephens Maxim died on November 24, 1916 in England.

Promotion of the "product" to the market

Starting from 1883, Maxim offered his machine gun to the armies of different countries. Banker Nathaniel Rothschild financed the campaign to promote the machine gun.

Maxim effectively presented the machine gun to buyers, for example, immersed the machine gun in water for two days, then took it out and fired it without preparation. The weapon did a great job. The Maxim machine gun device demonstrated high reliability. At demonstrations, he fired up to 15,000 rounds in a row without breaking or distorting the mechanism. There is an opinion that due toconstant shooting, he began to have hearing problems.

Sales of machine guns were successful, by 1905 Maxim machine guns were bought by 19 armies and 21 fleets of different countries.

Maxim presented the machine gun to the German Kaiser. The Germans liked the machine gun and in 1892 they opened their production under license at the German Arms and Ammunition factory or the DWM concern. In Germany it was called Maschinengewehr-08, abbreviated as MG 08. The German version differed from the Russian one in barrel caliber and cartridge. The Germans made machine guns Maxim chambered for a Mauser rifle: 7.92 × 57 mm.

The First World War is sometimes called "machine gun war" because of the dramatic increase in casu alties from automatic weapons. In just one day on the Somme, July 1, 1916, the British lost over 20,000 killed. The Germans shot the British mainly from MG 08.

By the beginning of World War II, the MG 08 was considered an obsolete weapon, however, Germany was armed with 42,000 MG 08 heavy machine guns.

The appearance of the Maxim machine gun in Russia

Maxim first brought a machine gun to a demonstration in Russia in 1887. The machine gun was caliber 4.5 Russian lines or 11.43 mm. To measure the caliber in Russia, the Russian line was used - 2.54 mm. Or one 0.1 inch. Weighed a machine gun on a carriage with protective armor 400 kg.

The military became interested in the machine gun and, at the direction of Emperor Alexander III, purchased several pieces. By the way, Alexander III himself tested weapons.

In 1891-1892 for testingmanufactured 5 Maxim machine guns of caliber 4, 2 lines, which corresponded to the cartridge for the Berdan rifle.

The first copies were delivered to the troops from 1887 to 1904. They were on heavy carriages and weighed about 250 kilograms. Machine guns were installed to guard fortresses and were assigned to artillery.

In 1900, the first five machine-gun batteries were formed. But that wasn't enough.

The armament of the Russian army with Maxim machine guns really began before the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. In May 1904, the Tula Arms Plant began to make them under license from the British company Vickers. Caliber machine gun "Maxim" was 7, 62 mm. This is the most common rifle in the Russian army of that time for a three-line rifle. From this moment begins the history of the machine gun "Maxim".

Russo-Japanese War of 1905

Massive use of machine guns in the Russian army began during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The military appreciated the power of automatic weapons. At the same time, the experience of the war confirmed that machine guns are not a “fourth branch of the army” in addition to infantry, cavalry and artillery, but should support existing troops with fire.

By the beginning of the war with Japan, the Russian army had 1 machine gun for 5000 soldiers.

First modernization of the 1910 Maxim machine gun of the year

In 1910, the gunsmith I. A. Sudakov, Colonel P. P. Tretyakov, senior master I. A. Pastukhov at the Tula Arms Plant made the first modernization of Maxim. Reduced weight, replaced somebronze parts with steel. Russian officer A. A. Sokolov developed a compact machine with a metal shield. The weight of the machine gun "Maxim" with the machine tool and water in the cooling casing was reduced to 70 kg. This made the task much easier.

Technical characteristics of the machine gun "Maxim" model 1910 on the machine Sokolov

Consider the table "Cartridge sample 1908 (7, 62x53R)":

Weight of the "body" of the machine gun, kg	18, 43
The length of the "body" of the machine gun, mm	1067
Muzzle velocity, m/s	865
Sighting range, m	2270
Maximum range of a bullet, m	5000
Rate of fire, shots/min	600
Tape capacity	250 rounds
Curb tape weight	7, 29kg
Ribbon length	6060mm

World War I

Russia entered World War I armed with 4,200 Maxim machine guns of the 1910 model. This turned out to be very little. During the war, 27 thousand copies were manufactured and delivered to the troops.

Machine guns have learned to install on armored cars and armored trains. In the First World War beganuse carts - light carriages on springs. Although sometimes their invention is attributed to the First Cavalry and the Makhnovists. The spring course allowed firing on the move. However, whenever possible, the machine gun was removed from the cart for firing. Firstly, they took care of the horses, and secondly, the cart served as an excellent target for artillery. The only machine gun adopted by the Russian army in World War I was the Maxim machine gun.

Civil War

The First World War had not yet ended, as the Civil War began.

The industry of the young Soviet Republic did not produce any new weapons. Therefore, the "Maxim" of the 1910 model remained the main machine gun of the Red Army. From 1918 to 1920, the Tula plant produced 21,000 new machine guns and repaired several thousand.

Modernization of 1930

Modernization of 1930 was carried out by A. A. Tronenkov, P. P. Tretyakov, I. A. Pastukhov, K. N. Rudnev. They increased the rigidity of the casing, installed a 2x optical sight, and marked out the standard sight for firing different types of bullets.

In 1931, a quadruple anti-aircraft machine-gun installation was developed. The stationary installation of anti-aircraft guns simplified the problem of cooling the barrels, it was carried out according to the scheme with forced circulation of water. For the anti-aircraft installation, machine-gun belts of a larger capacity were used, for 500 and 1000 rounds. It was installed on armored trains and for the needs of air defense. Anti-aircraft installation hit air targets at altitudes up to 1500 meters.

Finnish Campaign

The Finnish campaign of 1940 showed big blunders in the training of the command and rank and file of the Red Army, the supply of the army, the state of weapons. The war was called "Winter" because the main battles took place in the harsh winter of 1939-1940. "Maxim" was improved and adapted for firing in the cold right on the battlefield. The machine gun sank in the snow. It was installed on sleds and boats to move through deep snow. They put them on tank turrets to fire from above and keep up with the advancing infantry.

Many design solutions were taken from the Finnish modification of the Maxim machine gun. Finnish "Maxim" M / 32-33 was finalized by A. Lahti. He had a higher rate of fire - 800 rounds per minute. In addition, the Finnish machine gun had several other advantages, such as a wide neck of the cooling casing. The neck made it possible to fill the casing with snow and ice instead of water. He copied the tap for draining water after the battle. Freezing water could damage the casing.

Before the Great Patriotic War

In 1939, the Maxim was declared obsolete and removed from service, replacing it with a Degtyarev DS-39 machine gun.

The reasons for the decision were the heavy weight and complexity of operating the machine gun. To cool the barrel, 4 liters of water are needed. If a solution was found for winter, then in summer water had to be carried along with cartridges. “Water for the wounded and machine guns” - this call of the defenders of the Brest Fortress was made in 1941, but this truth was already clear in 1939. If the casing was damaged, simply a violation of its sealing, the machine gun came outbuilding. It is impossible to seal the casing with special grease and asbestos thread during the battle.

Maxim's weight did not allow the foot machine gun crew to move at the speed of an average infantryman. Changing position under enemy fire actually meant the death of the shooter.

The profile and dimensions of the machine gun "Maxim" and the calculation of two people unmasked the machine gun. At the beginning of the 20th century, his shield was still protected by the calculation, but by the 40s it was gone. Artillery easily suppressed such targets.

Sokolov's machine had wheels, but they were unsuitable for moving a machine gun over really rough terrain. "Maxim" was worn on the hands. In the mountains, it was even difficult to install it just horizontally. Homemade tripods were used to operate the machine gun in the mountains.

Modernization of 1941

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Tula Arms Plant resumed the production of Maxim machine guns. DS-39 did not live up to expectations.

In 1941, the engineers of the Tula plant upgraded the machine gun for the last time. The task was to reduce the cost and technologically simplify the design. Combat practice has shown that the firing distance is usually less than 1500 meters. At this distance, the ballistics of a light and heavy bullet did not have significant differences, and one sight (for a heavy bullet) can be used. The mount for the optical sight was dismantled from the machine gun machine, as they were still not enough in the troops.

At the end of 1941, the Tula Armory and Podolskymechanical plants were evacuated to the Urals, to the city of Zlatoust. During the war years, until 1945, about 55,000 Maxim machine guns were produced at the new plant.

In 1942, the Izhevsk motorcycle plant began to produce machine guns "Maxim". During the war years, 82,000 machine guns were fired in Izhevsk.

Officially, the last time the Soviet border guards used the Maxim machine gun was in 1969 during the fighting with the Chinese on Damansky Island.

Machine gun cost

When the emperor of China heard about the creation of a machine gun, he immediately sent his dignitary to Maxim. The envoy met with the inventor, looked at the work of the machine gun and asked only one question:

- How much does this marvel of engineering cost to shoot?

- £134 per minute, the designer replied.

- For China, this machine gun shoots too fast! - thinking, said the envoy.

One more interesting fact. The device of the machine gun "Maxim" is as follows: to make one copy, you need to perform 2448 operations on 368 parts. And that's within 700 working hours.

In 1904, the cost of the machine gun "Maxim" was 942 rubles and 80 pounds of license fee to the company "Vickers" for each machine gun. It was about 1,700 rubles or 1.35 kg of gold.

In 1939, the cost of one copy was 2635 rubles or 440 grams of gold.

Technical side

The device of the machine gun "Maxim" is quite complicated. It consists of almost 400 parts. Each of which performs an irreplaceable function. About the device of the machine gun"Maxim" written books and manuals. However, experts note that practice is more important than theory.

Therefore, this article only shows the general principle of operation of the Maxim machine gun.

The instance worked due to the recoil of the barrel. Barrel travel - short, 26 mm.

At the moment the bullet takes off, the barrel moves back and pushes the bolt of the Maxim machine gun. It moves back and forth in a closed frame box. An external handle is mechanically connected to the shutter. During firing, it swings at the speed of shots. This is dangerous for the machine gun crew, but it allows you to distort the shutter in case of a cartridge jam or a warped mechanism.

The backward movement of the shutter starts due to the recoil of the barrel from the shot. Moving back, the shutter tensions the return spring. Having reached the extreme point, the shutter changes direction and moves forward under the action of the return spring. A larva slides up and down the bolt, which, on the back of the bolt, simultaneously grabs an empty cartridge case from the bore and a cartridge from the tape, then starts moving down. On the forward stroke of the bolt, the larva in the lower position sends the cartridge into the barrel and locks it, and pushes the empty sleeve through the sleeve tube.

Moving the bolt back moves the machine-gun belt one step and cocks the striker spring, preparing the machine gun for the next shot.

If the trigger was pressed at that moment, then when the larva reaches the locking point of the barrel with the cartridge, the striker fires and hits the primer. The cycle repeats again.

Today

Since 2013, "Maxim", converted for firing single shots, is sold as a "hunting" rifled weapon. This means that there is still a stock of Maxim machine guns in the military depots.